How To Go Direct To Consumer As A RAPPER

[@trentgmusic]

Prince was selling dtc years ago. One of his albums went Platinum from his website, no label involved .

[@makavelizu2922]

But this isn't on Kanyes level. It's getting spooky out here. Y'all don't see it?!

[@sivecruze1247]

@@makavelizu2922huh?

[@blakeunderwood1075]

Definitely doubt he went platinum with that.

[@trentgmusic]

@@blakeunderwood1075 Why do you doubt it? The information is easily accessible. He sold over 1,000,000 downloads of his album from his own website, no label. That's Platinum. We're talking about Prince, not lil Coco.

[@Mr-Keyes]

​@trentgmusic Exactly, Prince was wayyyy ahead of the game. He sold about 250,000 copies of his multi disc album "crystal ball" for $50 each. In the industry, that would be considered a failure but he made over 10 mill in sales for himself !

[@AG_TheReal]

Facts I switched over ( Why left this model I don't know) used to sell them CDs, and USBs, so I switched back and went D2C and sold more I would of made off streaming in one day!!! collected emails too!!! crazy!!! I thank you fam!!! I literally just told my supporters, here's what's about to happen, and you have the option....I was honestly shocked!

[@OfficialBigDawgKel]

Master p was selling cds out da trunk in the 90's and boozoo chavis was selling his vinyl zydeco records at shows in the 60's

[@WillRichYT]

Less than a penny streams and slaving for plays is the short game, but there is a way out… I’m all in on direct to consumer music sales. There's REAL leverage 😁

[@DonGreen757]

Both have their place honestly depending on what route you wanna take

[@TrackHustlersENT]

Man i used to buy cds and even tapes as a young, young kid. EVERYBODY did. Music always costed money. Its crazy that it just became accepted as "free" with the rise of the internet

[@oneplanmedia]

Just something to think about. How about utilizing the streaming platforms like they’re radio stations? Instead of putting nothing on streaming platforms, why not release just the single on the streaming sites like artists have always done on radio and then let fans know they can get the full album on your website? I think that’s the best of both worlds.

[@zariaspell1088]

@@oneplanmedia this makes the most sense. Singles on streaming, D2C albums

[@AFTMH-jb6hf]

I was actually doing direct to consumer about a year or two ago , it's encouraging to see others do it themselves as well. I hope to be able to produce as often as I use to soon as well

[@MMXVII]

That restaurant analogy was amazing. I'm stealing that sheeeesh

[@VigoBeatz]

Man is genius. Thanks for being honest and letting murasakas know what's the real biz.

[@topkattalentshow]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@chimichurripapi3327]

If youre selling dtc might as well collect emails but what might also help is collecting data from a survey at p.o.s. with questions that provide info on the customers and fans lifetstyle (if they are also musicians, etc..) and then catering to that as well eventually

[@BRKFST_718]

(Sidebar) That beat at the end of this vid is crazy

[@KINGBENJOE]

Hey Curtiss Another Example of direct consumer is an underground artist named Mach-Hommy. He has albums that he sells for Hundreds to thousands of dollars and he has a loyal fan base. if your ever looking for something to cover look him up.

[@Ankh-he3wi]

And his man....tha god fahim

[@ehalljay1]

Thanks!

[@purasa2426]

i just found your channel today.....really loving and appreciating your content..thank you so much

[@marcusmccormick655]

The Mamba mentality definition in the back drop was perfect.. while you said people don’t want to do the hard work..

[@caspaclark]

I am so glad that I found your channel there are such factual subjects you cover that are very important cuz the goals that I am running around like a chicken with my head. Cut off to achieve. To have an artist like yourself and Nick D, etc. to keep it real is such a blessing for me. Much love, keep grinding🎉

[@shayarhymes47]

Thank you for always providing informative content. Found your channel during a very pivotal time on my DIY journey. Keep being you King 🙏🏾

[@exileisland2675]

i needed to see this. i dont even drop cus the idea that a bunch of suits devaluing my art to nothing disgusts me, yet ive dreamed of hand making numbered cds and cassettes encrusted in dope art ive designed myself but i always assumed people wouldnt buy it when streaming exists. but if people will buy a print they glance at occasionally for 25 bucks theyl buy music. we gotta be the change.

[@3RDEYEROBOT]

Thank goodness for your show DOPE!!!!!!!! Fam! DOPE!!!!!!⚔️👐🏾🔥💰

[@maxreign2440]

I’m new to your site. I’m also an Artist (Poet, singer, songwriter and audio engineer). I produce my own work and it takes a LOT of time and you’ve said. What you’re been saying makes a lot of sense. We should all go direct to consumer! If enough of us do it, streaming will be a thing of the past and our hard work will be taken as valuable as they are

[@woahdaniel]

I agree with you Curtiss, direct to consumer is the way to go

[@goingglobalmusicgroup2555]

Big Facts! CRAZY PART EVERYTHING IN OUR HOMES ARE PHYSICAL. IT NEVER LEFT IS MY POINT!

[@gregoryisom8333]

Cologne companies are using this platform now to sell fragrance at a lower cost coming from them to you with no middle person, saving the consumer more money and designers cologne making better profits as well as selling directly to customers, is one of the reasons big cities from Chicago to San Francisco's shopping circles are closing their doors due to high price in lease with minimal profits as manufacturers and selling direct to customers, Thanks King Curtiss for bringing this new? Platform for selling directly to customers is long overdue!

[@legalmatters4711]

🎧Holy shiiiiittt🎧 Your song just woke my a** up!!!#inspired ✔️ this is not even my music page I had to comment... Keep going 💯

[@LesterWayneDobos]

yeah bro custom fans like the ones you have actual personal emails with will leave you the biggest tips, don’t need many fans at all just need to reach out more and have discussions with each one that shows that you’re in it for them and that your music means something.

[@AmariRebel]

This one was particularly gem-filled. Thank you.

[@jmzjbz1498]

7:30 TALK YA TALK KING!!!!!

[@MarkHowellPaulAgain]

Yooo big up my country🇹🇹

[@PlasmaVerse7]

I been on this vibe since 2006. Its cool ppl are finally talking about direct to consumer 🎉

[@buildupdevelopers3820]

Is that why you only have 1 subscriber?

[@LaynoProd]

im definitely implementing these gems on my next album, thanks Curtiss!

[@sawltymusic7471]

Excellent content king! Had this satisfied smile on my face whole time.💪🏽💯

[@525crazz]

Always a pleasure to hear you speak the truth brother

[@officialnilla]

Another BANGA!!!

[@vancenichols9490]

Bruh, this is SO inspiring and came just in time for the weekend, for me to work on my strategy! Thanks SO MUCH!!!! 😀

[@printdivisionafrica469]

you DID IT! OMG!!!!!!!! so proud of you CK here from the last upload

[@lillowebeatscollectionllc3415]

SOMEBODY GOTTA TELL IT 😂

[@willspitta]

Needed to see this channel, bro confirming my intuitive thoughts

[@DJFrizzie]

No.1 Question is. For someone that puts out singles, what price range would you use for the DTC. If you are selling albums you can tag that price up to say $10-20 per sale but when it comes to singles, it's pretty hard to gauge what is the best price for you the musician and for the fans buying it. What's your say?

[@CP2THEOScpos]

So Glad you mentioned Rhymesayers your a G !

[@HowdyHeyRadio]

Great content dude💫

[@FNSMusicGroup]

Yea it's our products we control it STOP putting on they platforms and Keep it on your Own and Keep on Pushing words of Curtis Mayfield 💪🏼

[@thomasjohnsonjr4913]

THANK YOU FOR THESE GEMS OF MUSIC BUSINESS WISDOM, MUCH RESPECT, COMIN' FROM A DIYER UP & COMIN"!!!!!!!

[@wormsali]

um why not just do both. streaming is just another income source, yall willing to give that up? not me, I'm a make this music get all the money it can, personally.

[@DevonAnderson-oo9xn]

Y would a fan buy your music for let’s say $10.00 when they could go to a streaming platform and get it for free ( y buy the cow when you could get the milk for free)🧐

[@lugebeatzz8747]

You're relying on your music being as popular as the industry babies. That's a huge gamble

[@taylorstep8135]

​@@lugebeatzz8747 cd blanks are cheap

[@Whoissincere]

Bro... Whats the song at about 11:30 ish? 👀 I need that one!!

[@Moyzesh.mp3]

I have one (hopefully) good question in regards to this. How do you deal with live shows, at the moment most promoters use streaming as a measure for the size of the audience you're gonna bring. Should social media cover for that? Thanks!

[@chrisbougere2281]

I think that’s a good question and the answer should be YES. Even if you have hundreds of thousands of streams/listeners, you don’t necessarily know where the listeners generating those streams are located. Don’t forget about streaming farms, too! One of the problems I’ve heard discussed a few times was how streams and follower #s weren’t actually converting to show attendance. That’s my take on it, anyway.

[@Ankh-he3wi]

Organize your small shows for your supporters...they will bring their people n so on... perform for them no matter how small the crowd is.... don't forget to bring merch with you. That way everything is yours instead of filling a stadium and get a fraction of the doe

[@MrLynneBrown]

I needed this. thank you.

[@BarkingForBroccoliBG]

Curtiss, have you considering putting only snippets of your songs on Spotify etc then only place to get the full songs/cds would be on your website while that way people could hear you on streaming but for full songs buy from site?

[@viewer4life]

There's no way of doing that. It's only going to show the snippet but people are lazy they will not leave one platform

[@viewer4life]

I don't think that will be possible, people are lazy and they want to stick to one platform at a time. If somebody's in the mood for listening to Spotify music they're going to stay on that platform they won't take their time out to go visit a website

[@sooesoss6063]

"PRINCE" WAS THE FIRST!!!!

[@sooesoss6063]

Whats this guy channel that your getting this content from? Thanks in advance C King

[@tooflessmusic]

TOOFLESS

[@FLAVMEDIA]

CONGRATS:)) SALUTE

[@elvisidumijie5764]

Yes! "You should be able to set the price!"

[@BurghKing01]

Correction: Jay-Z bought 100 of Nipsey Hustle’s Mixed Tapes on Flash Drives. Jay-Z spent $10,000.

[@TmbOnTheTrack]

You are the Master P of today’s generation.

[@Cloutjonesdotcom]

D2C is the future of the music business #dopeaintfree

[@edub9930]

17:30 that Meek Mill rant had me ROTFL 😂😅

[@H3MINGWAY]

Definitely worth it, I'm gonna always do both, but have some exclusives on the site.

[@phrelancelotmusic]

TALK YO SH!T KING!!! 😄

[@FrankSalas]

Bruh just saw your rap in the middle. Loved it! Dey ain't ever got a wratchet lmaoooo

[@Drfresh1402]

I wish I could subscribe every time I watch. Superb content.

[@djkameronblaze]

19:35 is gonna separate the hustlers from the non-passionates. Are you willing to put in the work or you trying to take shortcuts?

[@Eugeene]

Hi Curtiss, I remember you once mentioned buying your own UPC codes but I can't find the video. How do you do that again?

[@scoop964]

You gotta subscriber 🌀 fire vid

[@OfficialBigDawgKel]

Where is all the stream heads at in the comments?

[@soulstades9575]

I’m selling mine directly to consumers 💯🙏🏾

[@inyourworldofmusic8545]

right now i am done releasing my music on these DSP am going directly to my true supporters they may not be a lot but they supports me

[@koupshinemusic1631]

That was a good one

[@ytraortiz]

"he was working on his acting"!!! tight 💯💪💪

[@wallacebrinson3532]

Nice track !!!

[@Flair.forever]

Yo that song and beat is hard at 11:30

[@jayronbeatz8225]

Thanks king 🫅🏾

[@coldcashsociety]

Exactly

[@goldgold7597]

whats the best way to create a website to do this

[@Sakima205]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not nearly impossible to sell DTC starting at 0 fans? Due to the short attention span of the youth mixed with the convince and habits of using DSPs? I don't know anyone who isn't a music head that will take the time to look at a new artist who isn't easily accessible... please help me understand where to start if I wanna start from 0 fans to any type of fanbase without DSPs.

[@joanie-music]

Generally speaking: No. It's not difficult to start from 0. Not If you know how an ecommerce business is run. Build your business foundation first. A website that can capture emails with an opt in, a store (shopify has a $5/mo plan if you Google). Make art. Unique to you. Think of how you can provide/present that music-art in a way that's an experience above streaming. That is what you start selling. Ads and marketing helps with this. It's tedious and hard work to do all this. It's doable though. Take an ecommerce business class, since you don't understand how to get customers or know how to run an online business. Not a music business class. Repeat: a regular ecommerce business class. The difference between the two, is night and day astounding. I've studied both. Regular ecommerce classes are 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 They offer waaay more detailed info on how to run a successful entrepreneurial business. One tip: it's not what you sell, it's HOW you sell it.

[@boygeorgemichaeljackson]

No you're absolutely correct, it amazes me how many people here are blind to that fact and apparently compare themselves to well-established (understatement even) artists like Prince. It's plain rediculous

[@SHADOWBANNED1984]

Appreciate you

[@OfficialBigDawgKel]

Im about to go crazy with the bot streaming on Spotify and when i get popped ima just go dtc 😂😂

[@NolanAI]

Thanks for this! we need same for films pls.

[@JungalOfficial]

Preach

[@Tonyklover]

Thanks for this! im gearing up for taking music seriously and been trying to get a good 8 songs ive written recorded and mixed so this has put some extra fire under my ass 🔥

[@drakesmith3908]

Dopeness ta ya track in this vid

[@FatheramaknowsbestBlogspot]

BIG Jewels Well Said, familation!!! SALUTE!!! Everyday B Lessons = #EverydayBlessons

[@xzaviertariq5692]

I would love to see the correlation to the people who buy an artists album compared to who shows up for the live show. There are a lot of artists out there that have tons of streams, but nobody is showing up to their show. Meanwhile you have people with no streams, but the small venues are sold out. There is a difference between a cyber following and a real following.

[@rockerrockstar]

The bots dont go to concerts. Meaning a lot of fake streams out there.

[@JrDynamiteMusic]

I can't miss that accent anywhere, big up my country Trinidad

[@mikoledesma1]

King Curtis King. I'm inspired by you since the past month I uploaded my first band camp song I'm doing content creation on TikTok also to be relevant. Is it why I don't have a first sale yet because I don't got a high quality album put out yet or because I havent focused on a platform yet? Anyways I can use some advice.

[@uwishiwasu]

I think you are a great KZbinr keep going and doing these videos as far as a rapper it’s hard to support and take you serious as an artist due to your YouTubing tho sorry but thank you!

[@naturesound5888]

I saw this coming. No lie

[@flubberghosted2472]

“Vanity metrics.” 🤯🤯🤯😵😵😵

[@So5aBe4tS]

Is Beat Stars counted as a platform for 100% revenue? I would assume so right?

[@lawthebaptistmann6820]

I’m an artist in SA, I would love to connect with you, pls let me know how I could do so :) btw loved your book 💯

[@Harry_11]

Curtiss, I appreciate your content and find it quite valuable to have a voice like yours highlighting DIY methods and mentality for artists. But, I think you were overly harsh calling out that specific commentator describing his post as a "loser's mentality." You can't just shut down debate and valid criticism and expect to convert more to the DIY ethos. As you have rightly said, the artists like Kanye and James Blake actually implementing and discussing D2C is very important. By that same token, the more people who are won over the better it will be for all independent, DIY artists. I've been in the game for a decade as well, and to deny the very real issue of perceived value of recorded music is a mistake. The comment you highlighted, while perhaps a bit defeatist, is not untrue. Many young artists will see your video and be asking themselves the same question: how do I get fans who will be willing to pay for my music? To dismiss them is to deny the fact that as James Blake pointed out in his tweets, music has been devalued over the course of 25 years. Let's not forget that streaming was the solution to piracy - or more specifically, Spotify's free tier, which now exists in a much more limited form. So if your goal is to convince a famous artist like, say, Beyonce, to bail on streaming, well, you're going to have a hell of a time. This was more feasible when Taylor Swift pulled her music of Spotify many years ago (but it still existed on other streaming services, like Apple Music). Hell, Neil Young just put his music back on Spotify this week after pulling it (albeit for other reasons) during the pandemic. In order to move forward we have to be honest about where we've been, where we're at, and where we're going - both as DIY artists but also as an entire industry. Unfortunately whether we want to admit it or not, the major labels and streaming services still wield enormous influence both in dictating the going rate within the market and also within congress. Part of the reason many of us are considering getting off Spotify is because of the 1,000 stream threshold that was implemented first on Deezer, and now on Spotify, at the behest of Lucian Grainge, the CEO of UMG. Another point worth making is that no one is denying that physical sales can generate significant amounts of income for artists. This is not limited to DIY and in all honesty, to act as if every band, rapper, or solo artist out there - signed or not - is not implementing this is disingenuous. The difference between what you are advocating vs. what the majority of artists are doing is actually getting out of streaming entirely in favor of only selling digital downloads and physical recordings D2C. This is where it goes from becoming a no-brainer to something each individual artist has to consider on their own terms. I'm not a rapper, so maybe this is newer within the hip hop genre. I know hip hop was much more quick to adopt streaming than rock or country, so maybe that's why my perspective is different. A lot of what you recommend is a no-brainer, especially on Bandcamp, where noise rock, experimental rock, metal, punk, shoe gaze, and so on and so on has been where those of us in these genres have lived and breathed since 2007. It's not uncommon for bands to just sell cassettes and vinyl in small quantities and once they're gone they're gone. Frankly, as a younger millennial, I'm somewhat perplexed by the sudden realization people seem to be having that they can...sell CD's? It's like I've hit my head and people slept through the 2000s. All of us in the rock world have been selling vinyl, CD's, cassettes, zines, and every other physical product under the sun forever. We never stopped. It's why a lot of rock bands are able to chart despite having much lower streaming numbers: they can still sell tens of thousands of CD's and vinyl. Country fans are just now joining streaming services en masse, hence the rise in country on the streaming charts, after years of just sticking to CD's and downloads. Most artists - even bigger ones - would prefer not to have their music on streaming platforms. The way royalties are distributed in a weighted, "winner take all" manner is unfair. It would be much healthier to have each person's monthly subscription dollar amount split amongst the artists they listened to the most that month. But we know that would upset the powers-that-be who are already struggling to maintain their stranglehold on the industry. But to deny that music is seen as free - or at least seen as an on-demand product - is to deny reality. Most serious artists are going to weigh whether they are cutting off their nose to spite their face. Yes, 100 sales of an album is a sizable amount of money, and certainly any artist at the level in which that is all they can sell, well, they're going to see much more money than the concomitant streams they would likely make. But at a certain point, if they're touring, making videos, and pushing social media content - they're going to want to reach as many people as possible. Remember, most artists are also performing, so they're also wanting to sell tickets, and for many who do a good live business, they make the calculation that it's worth it to keep streaming on the table. I'm not saying either approach is wrong. The whole point is that artists should have a choice. But we shouldn't be shaming folks for understanding this is a complicated problem, and making the right choice for their own career, whether that is windowing releases for a few months, only putting singles on streaming services, only releasing on services that pay a higher per stream royalty, or just trying to make high quality physical product to sell to the hardcore fans, while also having streaming for the casual audience. There is no right or wrong way here.

[@Tekzite]

What are streaming numbers worth if they're being boosted anyway, I'm not saying everybody do that, but sure a couple.

[@mayoshanebeats]

That part

[@koupshinemusic1631]

That's real

[@LovingSoul61]

I would absolutely rather have a few loyal supporters that convert into sales vs be massively popular and broke!!

[@KennyLauderdale]

Why are we comparing DIY to Kanye West? Of course Kanye could pull this off. He is a global superstar.

[@quincyzackery6164]

🔥🔥🔥

[@roninmode]

the reason people stream music because it's free! but when you ask people to pay even if it is better or exclusive content 99% of them wont pay! your not teaching anything new bro! if you think you can survive on only 1 percent of your fans paying for your content you are wrong! i've been trying for years! people have been brainwashed to believe music is free and there's no going back now! i wish i was wrong but i know from experience! facts

[@baconbacon4963]

sad but true

[@joanie-music]

Then you have to re-examine HOW you are selling it. Are you simply selling music, or an experience the music is supporting? There was this artist, in the early 2000-2007. His music was nothing I'd pay for, nor take time out of my day to listen to. What he did do, was create this world which his music supported and colored. Did I buy his merch, which also reflected his steampunk world domination theme? You bet. Did I attend his live shows which had giant robots and puppets on stage? You bet. Did I pay to join his fan club? You bet. Did others buy his music? Yes. The point is... the man had a full on musical brand aesthetic with a myriad of ways people could chose to support him through. You can still see some of his old vids on KZbin: Dr. Steel Music, to get a glimpse of his branding genius. Put your creative hat on! 😀👍 You've got this.

[@ChrisBlake_TV]

This is for artists that make good music and have an image. Most likely that’s just not you.

[@roninmode]

bro normally i would agree with you! but keep im mind i have over 1 million views on my channel and i'm about 3 time more popular than you! so i think my opinion is worth more than yours in this case! @@ChrisBlake_TV

[@joanie-music]

It's clear you might consider re-evaluating what and how you're offering to sell. Often, the reason people buy physical copies of music or merch, is because they want to own and touch a piece of you, that make them 'feel something' or that took them on an emotional or imaginative journey. Like how Star Wars made kids want to own character toys and copies of the movie. We want that stuff to prolong our interaction with that sci-fi fantasy. Does your music/brand excite the imagination like that? What might you do or change, if not? What sets your music and you apart? Are you approaching music making from a craftist perspective (external goals for making music - like focusing on strictly staying to a genre or to make people dance/feel sad, make sales, get signed/sync) or an artistic one (internal goals for making music - like to express a personal internal idea, story, feeling, metaphor)? Not that there is anything wrong with making music from a craftist perspective, it does serve a particular function we need filled. And we can combine the two approaches, to varying degrees. Or go all in working from either one. Why would someone want to own a physical token of what you make? What do they get out of it, that can't be achieved by streaming it? How might you repackage your physical music sales to accomplish this? Why do you buy a physical copy from your favorite artist? What is that gut feeling deep inside that prompts you to own it? How did they make that happen for you? Why aren't you doing that with your fans? What's the disconnect? It's not that you're not capable. You are. From your comment it's clear you're missing a step in your process. Most likely your brand and personal message/story is not fleshed out enough. Or if it is... it's not translating. Why? Is the music itself missing something? If you had to guess, what do you think it is? How could you start to incorporate it and test that theory? See if you can reverse engineer how an indie band like IAMX, lead by Chris Corner, is selling music, merch and Patreon subscriptions, and selling out shows left and right. Can you reverse engineer what about your favorite artist would make you pay $200 to be able to attend a sound check and pre-show meet and great? Or simply buy a copy of their physical album? You having the sales you want is doable, just create something you offer to your fans, that your music supports and colors. If what you're doing is not working, it's a major clue that it's time to shake things up and experiment with new ideas and digging deeper.

[@conflickteddd]

Hey Curtiss, you ever heard of Mach-Hommy?

[@Ankh-he3wi]

Don't forget the god fahim....so many projects...damn!

[@Crazysteve0017]

You make $1000 off a 10$ album w those 100 people so what’s the issue ? That’s concert ticket sales also we call that core fans

[@frazieryearby629]

Pop your ish Curtis